Starting a janitor service is an excellent way to make money working from home. Although it is a low tech business you can make a pretty good income if you are willing to work nights and weekend. There is a high demand for people who are willing to work hard and provide their customers with great service. Another benefit of this business is that it does not take a lot of materials to get started. Often you can finds the materials you need right around you house.
Step- 1 Do you research. Before you begin a janitorial services business you should know what to expect. You need to understand the types of services offered by other janitorial companies and the level of local competition. You also need to know what tools you use and what the expected hourly rate is in your area. This is the rate other janitors are making. You want to remember to charge by the job and not by the hour. Doing this, you will normally make more money.
Step 2- Start the business. You probably don't want to spend a lot of money to get started. I started my first window cleaning business with a spray bottle and a towel. After the fourth job, I had the squeegies, the extension poles and all the other equipment I needed to do a professional job. I do suggest you have start up capital to cover basic business expenses, marketing materials (fliers, business cards, and a little extra to supplement your income while you are getting started. With low budget advertising you could do this comfortable on $20,000. ( I have done it on as little as a 1,000 but I did the first 50 customers for a very low initial price because I had to start making money immediately.
Step 3- Start simple and get licensed. Getting a license is easy. Most state and cities require a license. It unusually costs 50 to 100 dollars for each. It may help you to be licensed and bonded too, it just depends on the market. It is important for you to start simple- the basics include mopping, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning bathrooms and emptying garbage cans. The alternative to this would be to find an under serviced niche in your market and start with that. (You can make more per hour offering specialty services.) Best luck starting you janitor service business from home!
Showing posts with label janitor service business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label janitor service business. Show all posts
Friday
How to Find a Reliable Janitor Service in Your Area
When you need a local janitor service that you can count on to be timely, professional and do a quality job, it can be difficult to know where to start or how to go about it. Try these quick and easy ways to find just what you are looking and enjoy your quality service sooner than you think.
1. Word-of-Mouth. Referrals from people you know and trust are the best way to locate a good company. Try to get as much specific information as they can. Focus on details and perspectives you would have a hard time getting anywhere else. Besides letting you know about their good experience, they can also tell you about any bad ones and steer you away from unreliable services or ones with poor work performance.
2. Local businesses. Go into businesses near yours and ask about who does their cleaning. If they hire a janitor service and love how the work gets done, they will be sure to rave about them. Chances are they use a local service that will also work well for your business.
3. Google maps. If you are unable to get a good referral from a friend or local business, the internet has some great options for finding services. On the Google maps site, first put in your location, then type in “janitor service.” Up will pop a map of several locations and a list of some of the companies near you. Included will be addresses, phone numbers and websites. You can get directions will a click of the mouse. If anyone has reviewed the company, you can read that, which will let you know a little more about a company you are considering. When you find one that looks good, be sure to ask for references when you contact them in addition to discussing what services they offer and what their rates are. Go look at some of the businesses they clean to see what kind of job they are doing.
4. Yahoo local. Similar to Google maps, you just type in “janitor service” and your city and you get a map of companies with a list that includes all their information. It is a good idea to try both sites because there are usually some companies listed on one that are not on the other.
5. Yellow pages. While the phone book may seem a bit outdated now that the internet is so easy to access and has so much information, it is still a great source for finding companies. It is quick to call several services with their information all on the page. Sometimes there are coupons or special deals in their advertisements. It is a good idea to ask plenty of questions, get references and do a little research on your own, as you would regardless of how you find the business. Always check with the Better Business Bureau to determine if there are unresolved claims or a history of poor performance or customer service.
1. Word-of-Mouth. Referrals from people you know and trust are the best way to locate a good company. Try to get as much specific information as they can. Focus on details and perspectives you would have a hard time getting anywhere else. Besides letting you know about their good experience, they can also tell you about any bad ones and steer you away from unreliable services or ones with poor work performance.
2. Local businesses. Go into businesses near yours and ask about who does their cleaning. If they hire a janitor service and love how the work gets done, they will be sure to rave about them. Chances are they use a local service that will also work well for your business.
3. Google maps. If you are unable to get a good referral from a friend or local business, the internet has some great options for finding services. On the Google maps site, first put in your location, then type in “janitor service.” Up will pop a map of several locations and a list of some of the companies near you. Included will be addresses, phone numbers and websites. You can get directions will a click of the mouse. If anyone has reviewed the company, you can read that, which will let you know a little more about a company you are considering. When you find one that looks good, be sure to ask for references when you contact them in addition to discussing what services they offer and what their rates are. Go look at some of the businesses they clean to see what kind of job they are doing.
4. Yahoo local. Similar to Google maps, you just type in “janitor service” and your city and you get a map of companies with a list that includes all their information. It is a good idea to try both sites because there are usually some companies listed on one that are not on the other.
5. Yellow pages. While the phone book may seem a bit outdated now that the internet is so easy to access and has so much information, it is still a great source for finding companies. It is quick to call several services with their information all on the page. Sometimes there are coupons or special deals in their advertisements. It is a good idea to ask plenty of questions, get references and do a little research on your own, as you would regardless of how you find the business. Always check with the Better Business Bureau to determine if there are unresolved claims or a history of poor performance or customer service.
What I wish I had know about starting a Janitor Service Business
Janitorial Service; Things I wish I had Known When I was Starting Up.
When it comes to janitor service start ups, everyone has a different comfort level for how much money and time they are willing to commit to get things started. Be sure you are honest with yourself, lack of start-up investment capital or lack of time to invest in a new start-up can sink even some of the best new ideas before they become profitable.
1) If you do not have the time to invest, either do the business part-time or don’t start. Chances are you will need to put in even more time then you planned on initially. Working a janitor or janitorial service part time is a great idea because you still work a regular job and in your ‘off-hours run your business. This will give you stability and you can use the money your business generates to upgrade your equipment and grow your business. It helps you learn the ropes and learn how to walk before you run. Plus you are probably going to be slower and make some mistakes when you start. Wouldn’t it be easier to make them on a smaller scale.
2) Understanding small, medium, and large business models. Which business model makes the most money? Which business model has the highest margins? Which one is the hardest to operate?
You may be surprised at the answers to these questions. For the purpose of mutual understanding lets define exactly what we think small, medium and large businesses are.
Small businesses have 1 to 4 employees at a time. Usually this means one to two crews working and the owner of the janitor service usually works in the business as a crew manager. The owner bids the jobs, talks to clients and participates in helping to do the work. Usually you do smaller jobs (with higher per hour margins) and you don’t need a lot of work to stay busy. Your overhead is small and normally you run the office out of your home and have a dedicated business line or one or two business cell phones. You have a lot of control in the quality of the work and you typically don’t get very many complaints. A lot of owner operators find they can make a decent living and are quite comfortable to remain at this stage,
Medium businesses model (employees 8 to 16; 3 to 6 crews)
Thia is called the molting phase of business development. This is because you outgrow your previous stage, but you become more vulnerable as you try to adjust to the next phase. The honest truth is that this is the worst structure for a janitor service business unless your ultimate goal is to have a large business. In hiring a lot of new people you take on the risk that some of these employees may not perform to a high standard. The owner has a lot of responsibilities including customer management, human resource training, marketing, growing the business and keeping the company making a profit. You also have to increase your overhead, getting an office and hiring office help to do the scheduling and paperwork. Your per job margins may also dip as you scramble to find enough work to keep your employees busy. Remember you are the last one to get paid so typically you have to work the hardest.
Large business model (Over 25 employees more then 10 crews)
You know you have achieved a large janitorial service business model when you can take a day off, and still make the same amount of money. In a large business model you are no longer the manager. You have a manager that handles everything and is capable of running the office. You have structured your business so that things go smoothly without your intervention. Even though margins per employee per job may not be as high, you get really big accounts and you make a lot more money on each job. Plus you have more employees and you make a little bit off of each one. At this point, your janitor service business is well established, you have loyal large clients and a reputation. You also know what methods of advertising work and how to attract new business.
When it comes to janitor service start ups, everyone has a different comfort level for how much money and time they are willing to commit to get things started. Be sure you are honest with yourself, lack of start-up investment capital or lack of time to invest in a new start-up can sink even some of the best new ideas before they become profitable.
1) If you do not have the time to invest, either do the business part-time or don’t start. Chances are you will need to put in even more time then you planned on initially. Working a janitor or janitorial service part time is a great idea because you still work a regular job and in your ‘off-hours run your business. This will give you stability and you can use the money your business generates to upgrade your equipment and grow your business. It helps you learn the ropes and learn how to walk before you run. Plus you are probably going to be slower and make some mistakes when you start. Wouldn’t it be easier to make them on a smaller scale.
2) Understanding small, medium, and large business models. Which business model makes the most money? Which business model has the highest margins? Which one is the hardest to operate?
You may be surprised at the answers to these questions. For the purpose of mutual understanding lets define exactly what we think small, medium and large businesses are.
Small businesses have 1 to 4 employees at a time. Usually this means one to two crews working and the owner of the janitor service usually works in the business as a crew manager. The owner bids the jobs, talks to clients and participates in helping to do the work. Usually you do smaller jobs (with higher per hour margins) and you don’t need a lot of work to stay busy. Your overhead is small and normally you run the office out of your home and have a dedicated business line or one or two business cell phones. You have a lot of control in the quality of the work and you typically don’t get very many complaints. A lot of owner operators find they can make a decent living and are quite comfortable to remain at this stage,
Medium businesses model (employees 8 to 16; 3 to 6 crews)
Thia is called the molting phase of business development. This is because you outgrow your previous stage, but you become more vulnerable as you try to adjust to the next phase. The honest truth is that this is the worst structure for a janitor service business unless your ultimate goal is to have a large business. In hiring a lot of new people you take on the risk that some of these employees may not perform to a high standard. The owner has a lot of responsibilities including customer management, human resource training, marketing, growing the business and keeping the company making a profit. You also have to increase your overhead, getting an office and hiring office help to do the scheduling and paperwork. Your per job margins may also dip as you scramble to find enough work to keep your employees busy. Remember you are the last one to get paid so typically you have to work the hardest.
Large business model (Over 25 employees more then 10 crews)
You know you have achieved a large janitorial service business model when you can take a day off, and still make the same amount of money. In a large business model you are no longer the manager. You have a manager that handles everything and is capable of running the office. You have structured your business so that things go smoothly without your intervention. Even though margins per employee per job may not be as high, you get really big accounts and you make a lot more money on each job. Plus you have more employees and you make a little bit off of each one. At this point, your janitor service business is well established, you have loyal large clients and a reputation. You also know what methods of advertising work and how to attract new business.
Wednesday
Upgrading your Janitor Service and Upselling
Once you have established a loyal base of customers with your janitor service business and you feel confident that you know what you are doing, it is a good time to expand the number of services you offer.
Often the key to expanding you janitorial services business is services your customers already need such as carpet and drapery cleaning, heating and air conditioning, plants and landscaping, laundry, window cleaning, lighting, herbicides and pest control. Some clients will only be interested in one or two of this extra services, other will want you to do many of them. One easy way to expand is to offer these services on you business card or on your invoice. Often the easiest way to do it is to be vigilant, if you notice they need another service, such as carpet cleaning ask them if you can give them a bid.
Expanding your janitorial service base will do three things to increase you revenues or your bottom line. The first thing it will do is increase you average revenue per customer. The next thing it should do is increase the average dollar per hour you or your employees can make at a job. The third thing it will do is decrease your advertising expense since you will not need to advertise as much because you are making more money per client. If you are still in the growing phase, keep advertising the same amount. The last benefit is that the client sees you as more reputable and they know that you can help them do other things.
Janitorial Services outlook
The breakdown of large corporate America and the creation of many new smaller businesses have made outsourcing janitorial services today cheaper alternative for many companies. These companies don’t want to spend their time staffing high turn over janitor positions or providing health benefits and pension plans for these employees. They would rather let some one else take care of it. These companies wish to use their resources to do what they do best and let you do what you do best.
The janitorial business is steadily growing and according to some experts, it has recently surpassed the 100 billion dollar mark about 5 years ago and by 2008, experts predicted it to be worth about $128. (http:// www.bscai.org/about/default.asp). Industry demand they predict will continue to grow at a rate of 7%. There is a lot of room for new start ups in this industry and there are a lot of successful franchises.
Anyway you look at it now is a great time to start your next janitor service business.
Often the key to expanding you janitorial services business is services your customers already need such as carpet and drapery cleaning, heating and air conditioning, plants and landscaping, laundry, window cleaning, lighting, herbicides and pest control. Some clients will only be interested in one or two of this extra services, other will want you to do many of them. One easy way to expand is to offer these services on you business card or on your invoice. Often the easiest way to do it is to be vigilant, if you notice they need another service, such as carpet cleaning ask them if you can give them a bid.
Expanding your janitorial service base will do three things to increase you revenues or your bottom line. The first thing it will do is increase you average revenue per customer. The next thing it should do is increase the average dollar per hour you or your employees can make at a job. The third thing it will do is decrease your advertising expense since you will not need to advertise as much because you are making more money per client. If you are still in the growing phase, keep advertising the same amount. The last benefit is that the client sees you as more reputable and they know that you can help them do other things.
Janitorial Services outlook
The breakdown of large corporate America and the creation of many new smaller businesses have made outsourcing janitorial services today cheaper alternative for many companies. These companies don’t want to spend their time staffing high turn over janitor positions or providing health benefits and pension plans for these employees. They would rather let some one else take care of it. These companies wish to use their resources to do what they do best and let you do what you do best.
The janitorial business is steadily growing and according to some experts, it has recently surpassed the 100 billion dollar mark about 5 years ago and by 2008, experts predicted it to be worth about $128. (http:// www.bscai.org/about/default.asp). Industry demand they predict will continue to grow at a rate of 7%. There is a lot of room for new start ups in this industry and there are a lot of successful franchises.
Anyway you look at it now is a great time to start your next janitor service business.
Tuesday
Starting Janitor Service Business that Makes Money
Although you may think that a janitor service business isn’t full of excitement, I find this business to be very fun, lucrative and down to earth. This business is perfect for someone who wants to work hard, make money and be independent. In addition, a janitorial service business is always going to be needed, both in good economic times and otherwise. A janitor service business could be the perfect fit and even if you have been to college, we hope to help you get a generous raise.
By Spencer Arnold
Experience Janitor and Owner of multiple service businesses.
1st of all, a janitorial service business is not about cleaning. It is not maid service although somewhat related. It is about providing a quality service and a competitive price and marketing yourself effectively to other businesses and commercial facilities.
Believe it or not smaller accounts typically bring higher margins. When my grandfather couldn’t find any work for his four sons during hard economic times, he decided to start his own janitorial service business. They cleaned offices for doctors and lawyers for a large profit. The money he was making allowed his sons to pay for their own college. It ran as an after hours business, so it was a business that he could run at the same time he was working a regular job. My grandfather ran this business quite successfully until his four sons graduated from college.
What does a Janitor Service Clean?
Janitorial services typically clean businesses, hospitals, law offices, dental offices, doctors offices, schools, retail store, warehouses and most type of commercial buildings. A lot of times, it is not worth it for a small business or company to hire, keep, and train their own janitors. If they could hire out the janitorial service it is one less thing they have to worry about. Most janitorial services are either late at night or early in the morning when no one less is working.
Important Articles (coming soon)
Janitorial Service (Start Up Costs): Things I wish I had known Starting Up.
Marketing your Janitorial Service: From Homespun to Number 1
Hiring the Best Employees: Your Employees are you Janitorial Service Business.
Upgrading your Janitor Service and Up selling: Midas’ Golden Touch
Finding Janitorial Service Supplies class="MsoNormal">Hiring the Best Employees: Your Employees are you Janitorial Service Business.
By Spencer Arnold
Experience Janitor and Owner of multiple service businesses.
1st of all, a janitorial service business is not about cleaning. It is not maid service although somewhat related. It is about providing a quality service and a competitive price and marketing yourself effectively to other businesses and commercial facilities.
Believe it or not smaller accounts typically bring higher margins. When my grandfather couldn’t find any work for his four sons during hard economic times, he decided to start his own janitorial service business. They cleaned offices for doctors and lawyers for a large profit. The money he was making allowed his sons to pay for their own college. It ran as an after hours business, so it was a business that he could run at the same time he was working a regular job. My grandfather ran this business quite successfully until his four sons graduated from college.
What does a Janitor Service Clean?
Janitorial services typically clean businesses, hospitals, law offices, dental offices, doctors offices, schools, retail store, warehouses and most type of commercial buildings. A lot of times, it is not worth it for a small business or company to hire, keep, and train their own janitors. If they could hire out the janitorial service it is one less thing they have to worry about. Most janitorial services are either late at night or early in the morning when no one less is working.
Important Articles (coming soon)
Janitorial Service (Start Up Costs): Things I wish I had known Starting Up.
Marketing your Janitorial Service: From Homespun to Number 1
Hiring the Best Employees: Your Employees are you Janitorial Service Business.
Upgrading your Janitor Service and Up selling: Midas’ Golden Touch
Finding Janitorial Service Supplies class="MsoNormal">Hiring the Best Employees: Your Employees are you Janitorial Service Business.
Upgrading your Janitor Service and Up selling: Midas’ Golden Touch
Finding Janitorial Service Supplies
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